Open Paleo

Nigersaurus

Sereno et al., 1999 nee-ZHAYR-SAWR-us /niːˈʒɛərsɔːrəs, ˈnaɪdʒərsɔːrəs/

Named after Niger, the African country where it was discovered, combined with Latin 'saurus' (lizard); meaning 'Niger reptile'.

121.4–100.5 million years ago Aptian–Albian, Early Cretaceous
Early Cretaceous stages

Nigersaurus is a genus of rebbachisaurid sauropod dinosaur that lived during the middle Cretaceous period, about 115 to 105 million years ago. It was discovered in the Elrhaz Formation in an area called Gadoufaoua, in Niger. Fossils of this dinosaur were first described in 1976, but it was only named Nigersaurus taqueti in 1999 after further and more complete remains were found and described. The genus name means "Niger reptile", and the specific name honors the paleontologist Philippe Taquet, who discovered the first remains.

Diagnosis

  1. Elongate frontal bone, much narrower than long, with marked cerebral fossa
  2. Transversely oriented upper and lower tooth rows extending lateral to the plane of the lower jaw ramus
  3. Tooth crowns with prominent medial and lateral marginal ridges and highly asymmetric enamel
  4. Dorsal vertebrae with paired pneumatic spaces at base of neural spines
  5. Prominent rugosity on medial aspect of scapular blade base

Species

Nigersaurus taqueti Sereno et al., 1999

Type species

Named for Philippe Taquet, the French paleontologist who led the first expeditions to Niger that recovered the earliest remains of this dinosaur.

Holotype
MNBH GAD512 , Musée National Boubou Hama
Material
Partial articulated skeleton including partial skull, neck, scapula, forelimbs, and hind limbs
Horizon
GAD 5 Bed, Elrhaz Formation, Aptian–Albian, Early Cretaceous , 121.4–100.5 million years ago
Locality
Gadoufaoua, niveau des Innocents, Agadez, Niger

References

  1. Sereno, P. C.; Beck, A. L.; Dutheil, D. B.; Larsson, H. C. E.; Lyon, G. H.; Moussa, B.; Sadleir, R. W.; Sidor, C. A.; Varricchio, D. J.; Wilson, G. P.; Wilson, J. A. (1999). Cretaceous Sauropods from the Sahara and the Uneven Rate of Skeletal Evolution Among Dinosaurs. Science 286(5443): 1342-1347. American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). doi:10.1126/science.286.5443.1342 sereno1999a
  2. Jones, B. (2026). The Princeton Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs: Sauropods. Princeton University Press.

    Source of the hip height estimate, and the appearance features.

    jones2026b